“Fascinating,” the Surgeon said.
And there, beginning dim but growing brighter with each passing moment, a light emerged.
I had to squint against the throbbing ball of intense light.
“There it is,” the Surgeon said, flicking lenses down over his bifocals to block out the worst of it.
He turned and smiled over at me.
“The bond you share with your mate,” he said.
It was so close to her heart that it might as well have been the same thing.
And soon, the Surgeon would be cutting it out of her chest.
And it would be gone forever.
Emma
The streaks of electricity pulsed across my body.
The Surgeon told me not to move, but how could I not?
A powerful snake might have been slithering over my skin, tensing every few seconds to test for weaknesses.
When one wave reached my toes, another worked its way upward.
I shivered involuntarily and cursed myself for moving.
Too late, I noticed handholds above my head.
Was I supposed to hold onto those?
Should I move in order not to move?
It was too late now.
Thick columns of soft yellow light flicked on one segment at a time, working from the bottom of the pod up.
Then a second set of lights, these ones red and angry, moved horizontally.
Not for the first time, I began to have second doubts.
I wanted to shout:
“Let me out of here! Let me out!”
But I maintained my calm.
I knew Vai would never let any harm come to me.
It came as sweet comfort that he was on the other side of this strange egg-shaped pod.
Within minutes, the lights died.
“Well done,” the Surgeon said over a speaker I hadn’t noticed until now. “We’ve just about finished. I’ll open the door now and you can step out.”
I shivered as I stepped from the pod and gratefully took my jacket from Vai.
“How was it?” he said.
“Strangely stimulating,” I said, barely able to keep the chuckle out of my voice.
Goosebumps writhed up and down my body, still capable of feeling those electronic pulses.
I noticed the holographic projections in the box before the Surgeon.
He manipulated them with rubber gloves.
“What is that?” I said. “Looks like a monster from a movie.”
“That’s you,” the Surgeon said. “Every part of you.”
The Surgeon turned a dial and the image shifted from the outside in, revealing me layer by later.
And there, at the heart of me—literally—was the golden glow of what I assumed had to be the bond.
I had a physical with my human doctor every year and not once had he mentioned that little bundle of energy tucked inside my chest.
I supposed there were some things our doctors didn’t see because they weren’t looking for them.
I wondered what they would say if they could get their hands on this technology.
“What happens now?” I said.
“Now, we prep for the Procedure,” the Surgeon said, hopping onto his feet spritely.
“Already?” I said.
I’d been expecting a delay of at least a few hours.
As if he had heard my thoughts, the Surgeon said:
“With Vai’s Shadow still able to sense you, it does no good to wait any longer than necessary. Speaking of which, can you feel his Shadow out there?”
“Yes.”
“Any idea how long it will take for him to reach us? I know how difficult it is judging space and time.”
I focused on that pulsing sensation in my chest and peered up at the ceiling.
Maybe it didn’t help to look in his direction but it felt natural to do so.
I was surprised at how much closer he had gotten.
Just like that, he’d covered a good part of the distance.
It wasn’t enough to worry about but enough to know he was heading directly for us.
“It took us about five hours to get here,” I said. “He’s traveling faster so I would say he’s maybe two or three hours away.”
It was the best I could do with my limited experience of the bond.
“More than enough time,” the Surgeon said happily. “By the time he gets here, you’ll both be long gone. As an extra precaution, I’ll place you each on a separate ship. Vai can take his ship home. As for Emma, we’ll place you in one of our shuttles and send you back to Earth. If you can give us your address, I’ll make sure you wake up in your own bed.”
The nurses handed me a clipboard and pen.
I scribbled my address and handed them back.
“Are you sure you can find it?” I said. “Earth is a big place.”
“Trust me,” the Surgeon said with a grin. “We haven’t failed yet.”
“I’m not sure about us being split up like that,” Vai said, frowning with concern. “I’d feel more comfortable if I could return her home myself.”
The Surgeon shook his head.
“After the procedure, you should stay apart. If you’re together for any length of time, the bond will try to re-establish the connection it once had. Distance helps us heal.”
The frown remained on Vai’s face.
He wasn’t so sure.
“Trust me, we have the best service in the Empire. No harm will come to her. Now, if you’ll step outside for a moment, the nurse will come get you once the machines are prepared.”
The nurse led us along the white line that ran the length of the hallway to another waiting room.
None of the chairs were occupied so I took a seat on the closest corner.
I sat but Vai didn’t.
“Would you like something to drink?” he said.
Although Vai put a brave face on it, his voice shivered in his throat.
He was trying to contain the fear, I realized.
“Water would be good,” I said.
For some reason, my mouth had turned as dry as a fistful of sand.
Vai drifted to the drink stand in the corner.
He filled one paper cup and set it to one side.
He picked up another and began to fill it.
He stared directly at the rapidly filling cup but didn’t notice as water sloshed over the edge and onto the floor.
He hissed through his teeth and shook his damp hands off.
He picked up a flannel from a
